NEW! Subscribe to our New Monthly Industry Business eMagazine

2019 Stats + Trends

New Patient Checklist, 2019

2019 DIFFERENCES

RECAP of the Latest CONFERENCE PHOTOS, Videos, Interviews and More!

Three Concierge Doctors take the Main Stage at the 2018 Concierge Medicine FORUM in Atlanta, GA, a three day conference bringing 30+ speakers, Physician faculty, nearly two dozen breakouts, lead-in workshops and more. www.ConciergeMedicineFORUM.com

By Nicole Fawcett January 30, 2018 6:00 AM

Breast cancer patients face complex decisions about their treatment.

“Knowledge is a key component of decision-making, and yet it’s consistently low even among patients who have received treatment. We need better tools to make these decisions more informed,” says Sarah T. Hawley, Ph.D., MPH, professor of internal medicine at Michigan Medicine.

Compared with patients using a static informational website, those using the interactive tool had higher knowledge and felt more prepared to make a treatment decision, according to a new study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Researchers enrolled 537 patients with newly diagnosed early stage breast cancer from multiple practices in four states. Patients were randomized to view a tailored, interactive decision tool called iCanDecide or to view similar information on a static website.

They were then surveyed about five weeks later, after making a treatment decision. In total, 496 completed the survey.

Overall, 61 percent of patients who used the interactive tool reported a high knowledge of treatment options, compared with 42 percent of patients who viewed the static material. Patients who used the interactive tool were also more likely to say they felt prepared to make a treatment decision, 50 percent, compared with 33 percent of patients viewing static material.

The interactive site was designed to walk people systematically through key facts about breast cancer surgery, such as how often cancer recurs and the likelihood of needing additional surgery. A second module on the website helped patients understand options about systemic treatment, such as chemotherapy. The paper assesses only the surgery module.

“Instead of throwing the information on the website and hoping patients would figure it out, we gave them the bullet-point fact, asked a question to see if they understood, and then allowed them to drill down and look at more detailed information. They couldn’t just bounce around. They had to go through it in a linear fashion,” Hawley says.

The tool also assessed patients’ values, taking them through a series of hypothetical scenarios. In the end, each patient had a customized bar graph that showed how her preferences matched to treatments. For example, if the patient valued keeping her natural breast, the lumpectomy bar would be higher. Patients could interact with the figure to learn more.

New, “The New Doctor” — A CMT Monthly eMagazine — Subscribe Here …

News | CPHA | Medical Cannabis Toolkit (Canada)

The toolkit includes a set of fact sheets and links to key resources that provide general information about cannabis plants and products, methods of consumption, and approaches to harm reduction. Members of the CPHO Health Professional Forum are encouraging health professionals to use resources such as Cannabasics, the Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines developed at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and other credible sources of evidence to support patient education. Source: Canadian Public Health Association, 2018

Latest EHR/EMR Trends 2017-2018

Advertise on CMT | Rate Card

START Your Application, Free | Doc Coverage

For over 10 years physicians and patients have been relying on this platform to get evidence that would help them identify the best therapies, surgery and/or diagnostics for any unique medical condition. Patients all over the country have successfully used Doc Coverage to get their insurance companies to pay for the tests/treatments that are proven to be the most effective and safe. To date, Doc Coverage has experienced a 100% success rate in the overturn of inappropriately denied health care services. Get the healthcare you deserve, use Doc Coverage.

Physician Education

CMT Position Statements

Concierge Sports Medicine | Stories

New 2018 CMT Spotlight Series on Concierge Medicine, Pro Team Doctors, Costs, Care, Services and More ...